A failure of democracy and fundamental freedoms on the Australian left: Open letter

Most people have concentrated on the debate and the subversion of the election. Now it's time to spare a thought for the person. Linda Gale has been pilloried on social media and in the papers day after day. No one deserves this treatment, least of all a committed and principled left wing activist. I have never seen anything like the abuse she has copped. Shame on everyone involved, especially those who hold political office. There needs to be a way to discuss these issues respectfully, without false accusations of transphobia being used to ruin someone both politically and personally.

This is an attack on women. To bully us and to silent us. Women voted for the greens and they should respect the majority vote not the single issue zealots in the party.

UK Greens have a couple of court cases against them at the moment for similar behaviour. The cult has been outed. Enough! Get back to saving the planet.

Protect the rights of females and the LGB community

I used believe that the Greens were worth supporting. Not any more.

I used to vote greens and don't now because of the aggressive shutting down of any discussion on this topic.

Misogyny writ large. You lost my vote.

I will always stand up for all genders, but if we cannot discuss issues such as transgender athlete's in a mature and respectful way, what hope has democracy?

It is very disturbing how the Greens are so afraid of the women members who speak the truth of human biology and serious threats to womens fundamental rights, that members are coerced into forfeiting their right to free speech and democratic processes in order to remain party members. The party proclaims it wants a local media that "reports the truth" but demonises and shuns members who discuss the truth about attacks on women rights. The party proclaims that "women have the right to live free from harrassment, fear, coercive control, violence and abuse" but NOT if you are a female member of the Australian Greens. Time for a rethink of the group think.

To preserve democracy, we should be allowed to discuss any subject matter.

Outrageous and unacceptable behaviour

Am signing, although I do think the Greens are lost. Their Vic branch has had a history of sexual abuse against women.

Stop erasing women and girls. They have sex based rights.

Democracy is dead. Who would have thought The Greens would be the leading edge of misogynist censorship in Australian politics. You thought Abbott being Minister for Women was bad - these people have propagated a whole new twisted pretext to debase and silence women. I've read the salient documents in this case, and see that Gale simply thinks women's rights are a going concern. In social media posts that i have seen however, the pitch fork brigade were happy to agree that she is guilty, without reading the documents, without any evidence at al,l and without trial. Burn the witch. Gale is one woman in a growing legion of women being systematically bullied and ousted by The Greens. It's not just women either. The most decent, intelligent, experienced and earnest of men are also being pushed out. Although, the level of witch-hunting nastiness seems far from comparable. I am all for trans rights, but not at the flagrant negation of sex-based rights for females.

Surely the Australian Greens are not about to self-destruct through US-style ideological sectarianism? This is both appalling and deeply disappointing to Greens supporters outside the ideological ghetto.

I support open debate on policy decisions that affect women and trans people. The proposal presented by Ben was seriously naive and incoherent and should rightly have been discussed openly.

I Stand with Linda Gale.

Woke up to the max. Or cancelling.

What happened to robust debate?

I stand with Linda Gale x